Ironing board pad



Sept. 13, 1949. B. H. FOSTER 2,481,833

IRONING BOARD PAD Filed May 31, 1946- Patented Sept. 13, 1949 IRONING BOARD PAD Boutwell H. Foster, Maplewood, N. J., assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 31, 1946, Serial No. 673,311

1 Claim. (Cl. 38-140) 1 This invention relates to ironing board pads and more particularly to pads that are well adapted to withstand the heat of the iron.

Ironing board pads as commonly used heretofore have been formed of looseA cotton iibers or 3 of a coarse woven cotton fabric, but the heat oi the. iron. gradually chars the cotton fibers with the result that cotton pads do not last long. It has also been proposed heretofore to form ironing pads from a sheet of relatively thick sponge l rubber but rubber like cotton is injured by the heat ofthe iron. In order to secure an ironing pad that will not be injured by the heat of the iron it has been proposed heretofore to form the pad of asbestos bers such as asbestos batting, but the trouble with an asbestos pad is that it packs down rapidly and lacks the resiliency required for efficient ironing.

Having in mind the foregoing the present invention contemplates an ironing board pad which will not pack down at all or unduly, and which is well adapted to withstand the heat of the iron throughout many months of hard use. More specifically the present invention contemplates an ironing board pad which includes a thick layer of water absorbing padding material such for example as cotton or sponge rubber, and this padding material is confined within a flat watertight bag or skin that is adapted to conne enough water to keep the padding material saturated during the use of the pad for ironing purposes. In other Words the present invention contemplates what may be called a water-cooled ironing pad in which the water confined in the pad will prevent any portion of the pad from being heated by the iron to an injuriously high temperature.

The above and other features of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an ironing board pad constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through an ironing board equipped with an ironing board pad of the present invention, and having an ironing cover secured over the pad; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The ironing board pad contemplated by the present invention may be made in various sizes to fit the different size ironing boards now in general use, and may be used upon any well known or preferred type of ironing board such as indicated by I0 in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The present ironing board pad is preferably large enough to cover the entire upper face of the board I0 and extend downwardly a short distance around the marginal side and end edges of the board so that the pad will present a smooth upper surface and rounded edges, as will be apparent from Fig. 2.

The ironing board pad contemplated by the present invention comprises a thick yielding layer of porous or water absorbing material Il, such for example as sponge rubber, or a textile padding or a mat or felt of glass, asbestos, mineral wool, hemp or other fibers. The resilient, porous material i I is completely enclosed within a watertight cover which either may be integral with the porous lling I I, as in the case of an impervious skin of rubber formed on or applied to the surfaces of a sponge rubber pad, or it may be formed separately as a bag or envelope. The cover may conveniently be formed of two sheets of woven fabric I2 and I3 each of which is rubber coated at its inner face to make such fabric water-tight, and the two sheets are rmly bonded or vulcanized together entirely around the padding material I I so that they form the anges I4. These flanges are preferably provided with grommets I5 adapted to receive a lacing cord I6 which passes under the board I0 and serves to anchor the pad iirmly in place upon the ironing board.

The water-tight bag formed of the water-proof sheets I2 and I3 or the above mentioned skin containing the padding material II is supplied with suncient water to thoroughly saturate the material II and ll the voids therein. This may be done by providing at one end of the bag formed of the sheets I2 and I 3 a threaded lling opening similar to that used in hot water bags and adapted to be closed by the screw plug I1.

The water absorbing padding material II may be formed of various materials that will produce a porous resilient sheet or mass which will stay in place. or in which the material forming the mass is bonded in place by a high-melting or an iniusible resin, or is otherwise formed into a resilient sheet. It is deemed important that the padding material II be porous and capable of absorbing a large amount of water to thereby more or less immobilize the water so that the water will not be rapidly displaced by the passage of the iron over the ironing pad. To accomplish this the padding material must be rm enough to provide a rm even surface while supporting the weight of the iron. The padding fining bag may both be formed of any suitable Y fabric such as woven cotton fabric having a water impervious rubber lm at the inner face thereof, or if desired the upper fahne-whichx lies. closet@ the hot iron may be formed of nely Woven asbestos yarns while the lower fabriemay be formed:

of a cheaper woven material; The upper fabric l2 of the ironing pad may, if desired, be. used? the ironing surface, in which case the usual ironing cover need-not be employed.. In the-confstructionshowrr Fig.r 214er the'drawing ther iron,- ing;V pad l-l-, #227 L3-is provided with: 'air ironing cover I8 which secured' in placezover the pad andr` about. the board lVVV by the lacing cord 1,9.

Y This` cover |181- may be ot the usual'or any pre+ erred? @unstruction but is preierablyv r.a lon-g life, fire-'resistant asbestos cover such as described and ciaifnaed; in the Sunbury YI-latent` 2,382,830.

'IY-lie princi-pal advantages et the. board pad. contemplated by the present invention are that it will notk catch me, will notscerchx will notA discolor the. material being, ironed, willnot pack *down or become hard, andA should give. `years of satisfactory service.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

An ironing board pad shaped to t an ironing board and which is well adapted to withstand the heat of the iron, comprising a layer of Water-v Y absorbing padding material capable of supporting the ironing pressure and of providing a rm evensurfacev under such pnzessarey af fiat watertight bag containing sada-.materint amil adapted to confine enough water to keep said material saturated during the use of the pad for ironing purposes? closable filling spout means secured to the' bag 'for supplying water thereto, and anchorproiections-v :along the sides of the pad for l@ anchoringsitfincplace upon an ironing board.

BOUTWELL H. FOSTER.

g Y EFERENCES CITED Y The following references are of record in the 4ijle of this patent: a 

